


Through the Looking Glass

by DarkScales



Category: The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Complete, Dark and Link friendship, Dark is stranded in the Light World, F/M, Good Dark Link, MidLink, Post-TP, Post-Twilight Princess, Talo is an Idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-14
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-01-24 17:06:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1612742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkScales/pseuds/DarkScales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dark Link found a mysterious mirror in his basement, it turned out to be a portal between the Dark and Light Worlds. Then he's accidentally sucked in, and must figure out how to get back home while avoiding getting killed by the Light Dwellers who think he's a monster/demon/evil spirit. How did he get into this mess again?  Oh yeah, it's all Talo's fault.</p><p>(Originally posted on ff.net in 2013)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Talo is Reckless (and a Wimp)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is going to be my first non-oneshot fic on this site, and there are twelve chapters with hopefully semi-regular updates. It's already completed, and you can also find it on fanfiction.net (even though that version is unedited and riddled with errors). Although this isn't my best work, and my writing has improved a lot since I first wrote this story, I thought you might like it. And my friends wanted me to post fics that weren't really short oneshots. Even though these chapters are really short. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: Since I'm too lazy to put this on every chapter, it applies to the whole story. I don't own Legend of Zelda, because if I did Dark and Shadow would be good guys.

* * *

Link sighed and ran a hand through his jet-black hair, absentmindedly combing out the numerous twigs and leaves caught in the messy locks. How in the name of all Dark World Hyrule had he gotten himself into this mess?

Oh yeah, it was all Talo's fault.

It had started when the village children were daring each other to climb all the way up to the top branches of the large tree in Ordon Village to grab the rupees on the very top. Talo, naturally, was the first to accept and quickly scrambled up the vines. Unfortunately, upon trying to tightrope-walk across the thin branches the rupees lay on, his courage failed him.

As a result, Talo was now on his belly and hugging the tree branch in a death grip, a mere few feet away from the free money. After he'd made it clear he wasn't going anywhere, Ilia had wandered by looking for Link (probably going to scold him about Epona's miniscule cut from getting scraped by a twig) and promptly began berating them for being so reckless and endangering their lives, etc etc. She'd then gone after Link, hoping he would be able to climb up and rescue the wayward child. Thus, Link landing in his current situation over thirty feet up in the air with a kid stuck in a tree who looked like he was going to wet himself at any second.

Wonderful. Just wonderful. It wasn't that he didn't care for the kid, it was just that he was always rescuing him from situations like this. Unfortunately, as Talo had gotten older, his "situations" had become ever more perilous. Last year he had to be rescued from a band of bokoblins in the forest, and only the previous month he'd nearly gotten eaten by a deku baba while gathering firewood. Apparently he'd thought that one wooden stick would be enough to kill a giant evil plant monster. Obviously his logic was very flawed.

"Come on Talo, it's not so far. Just slide on over, and don't look down. Yeah, just like that. Relax, you're really close... gotcha," Link muttered, reaching out and grabbing ahold of the young boy. He instantly whimpered and latched on to the ranch hand, who quickly shimmied down the tree and deposited him safely on solid ground.

"Oh, Talo, Link! Are you two alright?" Beth asked, blushing slightly as she glanced at the older boy. He pretended not to notice and nodded, sending a quick smile her way that caused the girl to blush even deeper and make that weird hip shake thing she always did while fluttering her eyelashes at him. Again, Link pretended not to notice.

"Link! Now that you're done rescuing Talo again, would you mind herding up the goats for me? They just don't seem to want to listen to me lately," Fado asked, jogging up to link. Link nodded to him and left to go get Epona, who was grazing on the long grass by his house.

"Come on, girl. Time for a bit of exercise," he said softly, stroking the chestnut mare's flank soothingly. She nickered in response and nuzzled him, making the teen laugh slightly. Then he picked up her reins and led her through the small village to the ranch, stopping only to let the kids pet her and Ilia warn Link about the consequences in he got her injured jumping fences like he did last year. Boy, did he never hear the end of that one!

* * *

 Link yawned and stretched, throwing off his covers and stumbling blearily out of bed. After changing out of his nightclothes and eating a quick breakfast of bread and goat's milk with Ordon's famous Ordon Cheese, the teen set to work cleaning up the basement of his house.

By midmorning, Link was barely through the first half of the room. It seemed that his basement was larger and messier than he'd originally believed, and probably should have cleaned it out sooner.

_Yep, definitely should have cleaned up down here sooner,_ he thought, sneezing on the cloud of dust that had puffed out upon his removal of an old moth-eaten blanket from the shelf. He found many dead bugs in the corners, and there were spiderwebs practically everywhere. The entire room smelled like something had died in it, and was that a mouse skeleton in the corner?

"Huh, what's this?" Link muttered to himself, reaching in and removing an ornate, hand-held mirror from the back of the shelf. There was a beautiful border of engraved fake jewels along the edges, with carved-out pearls and diamonds and rubies. The paint, no doubt once vibrant and beautiful, was now dusty and faded with parts of it peeling off. The rest of the mirror was simple wood, and when Link flipped it over he found a riddle on the back. Holding his lantern up higher, he read the words aloud.

_"Light and Dark,_   
_Black and White_   
_Are but Two Sides of the Same Rupee._   
_In Your Hand, Hold You the Key_   
_To Unlocking the Door_   
_That Divides Them._   
_Only a True Hero_   
_Can Open the Way"_

Link stood in silence for a moment, processing the words in his head. _What in the name of Dark World Hyrule does THAT mean? 'Only a True Hero can open the Way?'_

"Huh. Well, this is something to think about," he said, heading back upstairs. He decided to take a break from the cleaning for the moment and investigate a bit more. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed like there was something about that mirror that intrigued him, made him want to solve that riddle and figure out what it meant.

 


	2. Knife Cut Equals Inter-Realm Traveling

Deciding he would bring the mirror out to the spring where he could wash it in the water, Link grabbed his sword and shield and headed out. The sword was made by Rusl and the shield purchased from Castle Town. It was a sturdy metal one, unbreakable by the bokoblins and monsters that seemed to be getting more and more bold lately. Their numbers had been growing at an alarming rate as well, and had only started slowing down a few months ago.

There were also rumors that King Bublin had been sighted near Castle Town, something that hadn't happened since... well, forever. The giant green pig-man used to stick more to the fringes of Hyrule's borders, picking off the occasional stray traveler. To hear that he was going so close to civilization, right into the heart of the kingdom was worrying. Link guessed it had something to do with the recent disturbance in the Light World, which they'd been informed about by the Princess of Twilight, Midna.

Then there was that who fiasco about Zant taking over the Twilight Realm and turning everybody into shadow beasts, which did not sound pleasant. The only reason the Dark Worlders hadn't gone to their neighbors' aid was because Princess Zelda (technically it should be Queen, but she wasn't married yet so she couldn't officially take that title) forbade all contact with the denizens of Twilight and sealed off the Mirror of Twilight, their only method of getting there.

She said it was so Zant didn't attempt to take over the Dark World as well, and also because she'd heard that some Chosen Hero from the Light World was also destined to come save the Twili or something like that, Link didn't know. He'd just heard the news during a trip to Castle Town with Rusl. He also knew that his Light half was probably involved, since he had a triforce shaped birthmark on the back of his hand that signaled the Chosen Hero of the Goddesses. However, since the Goddesses only protected the Light World, Link himself wasn't important. Just his other side.

After wiping all the dirt and grime off the mirror so that its reflective surface shone and glittered in the light, Link propped it up against a rock and relaxed on the banks. He then pulled out a small, half-finished figurine of a horse (Epona, to be exact) from his pocket as well as a small carving knife. He then set to work whittling out the body and hind legs, working slowly and carving out only small shavings at a time.

Suddenly he heard loud screeching sounds, and the teen hurriedly stuffed both statue and knife back in pocket and pulled out his sword and shield, settling into a battle stance. The screech had come from a bokoblin, a purple-skinned, low-level monster normally found in Faron Woods and Hyrule field. They usually didn't wander this close to the village, but as stated before, they were getting bolder and bolder every day.

A few quick sword slashes and it was over, the creature's body exploding into ashy dust. Link coughed and fanned the air, having accidentally inhaled some of it. The stuff tasted like rotten cheese mixed with dirt and dust and who-knows-what-else, befitting a dead monster.

"Ahh!" Link cried in surprise as he pitched forward, falling face-first into the spring with a large splash. Turns out there had been a second one, and he was NOT happy about the death of his friend as evidenced by the way it had attached itself to Link's back and was now hitting it with a club. Link quickly grabbed his weapons from where they'd sunk into the water and flipped onto his back, crushing the bokoblin under his greater weight. He then rolled off and popped his feet, giving an ending blow to the now deceased monster that greyed and exploded into dust like the previous one.

Warier now, Link checked for more of the things before putting away his sword and shield. He then gave himself a mental onceover, noting the superficial scratches on his back coupled with a few bruises that would heal within the week and some cuts on his hands. The teen grimaced and grabbed some water, throwing it on his back to wash off the blood and dirt and rinsing his hands.

It was then that he noticed the mirror, which had been knocked down and was now lying half in and half out of the water. Link frowned, noticing something... odd. Was it just him, or was the mirror... _sucking in_ his blood that had spilled into the water?

The cloudy red liquid was gathering speed now, beelining straight for the polished oval of glass. Okay, this was getting weird now. And unnerving. Link started backing away from the mirror, unsure of what would happen once the blood touched the mirror itself. He watched in twisted fascination as the red liquid got closer, closer, closer…

_Well, at least this explains why I felt almost drawn to it earlier. It's literally sucking in my blood, like a drain or something!_ Link thought, intrigued and unnerved at the same time. What would happen when the blood actually got to the mirror? Nothing? Something? Would it explode? Would it break? What would happen?

He got his answer a few seconds later when the first drop touched the smooth glass surface. The mirror suddenly started glowing with an intense white light, too bright for Link's sensitive eyes. He was a Dark Worlder after all, and was more used to the shadows than the light. Then there was a huge flash that completely blinded him, and the world went white.

* * *

The first thing Link saw when he woke up was stone, like the ceiling of a cave. But wait a second... he wasn't in a cave. He _couldn't_ be in a cave, because he was at Ordon Spring. And Ordon Spring definitely wasn't in a cave. But Lanayru Spring was, and the swirling patterns on the rocks and serpent statues definitely confirmed that. So it seemed like the mirror was a teleportation device of some kind. _Interesting,_ he mused. Speaking of which…

Crud. It was probably still at Ordon Spring, since he hadn't been carrying it with him and he didn't see it anywhere nearby now. That meant he'd have to get all the way back to Ordon from Lake Hylia without letting anyone know how in the name of Dark World Hyrule he'd gotten to Lake Hylia in the first place, then deal with the curious villagers when he got back. Wonderful.

Rusl would be worried about him, the kids would want to know if he'd had exciting adventures, Bo would be worried but wouldn't show it, and Ilia would scold him for riding Epona all the way back without rest. Which he was going to do because Epona actually loved it when they went on long gallops, since for some reason she seemed to have endless stamina. Not because he 'just felt like it', as Ilia often accusing him of doing.

Link got up off the spit of land jutting out over the spring he was lying on and headed out, frowning to himself. It felt like something was off in the air, he could sense it somehow. Maybe it was just him, but was it too hot? And why was it so light?

Upon reaching the exit, Link froze as a cold shudder ran down his spine, and a feeling of foreboding washed over him. He slowly turned and had to refrain from screaming like a little girl at the sight of the giant golden snake rising up behind him.

_I am so dead,_ he thought.

 


	3. Oh, Shoot, Angry Light Spirit...

Link gulped in pure terror and concentrated on refraining from wetting himself, cringing away from the harsh light. Feeling very much like a cornered rabbit, he slowly looked up at the giant glowing snake-thing.

_This is DEFINITELY not Lanayru Spring. Since when was there a giant snake/serpent/glowing creature here?_ Link thought to himself, casting around wildly for any means of escape. But he was rooted to ground with fear, unable to move an inch.

"How did you get here, demon?" the creature hissed. Its voice resonated in Link's head with a strange echoing quality.

_Telepathy. It's a Light Spirit, like from the stories,_ he thought dazedly. The Light Spirit continued talking, clearly not pleased at Link's appearance in its spring.

"All contact between our worlds was destroyed long ago! How did you get here, demon?! HOW?!" the Spirit roared, the gleaming markings on its body pulsing and filling the cavern with a harsh white light. Link was crouched in the shadows and couldn't help but let out a very undignified and unmanly squeak, unable to say anything more. When the light touched him he yelped and recoiled, the skin on the back of his hand smoking slightly.

The teen glanced around, unable to keep himself from quivering all over and unable to meet the piercing gaze of Lanaryu. A sudden burst of adrenalin allowed him to dash out of the shadows and make a break for the exit, immediately diving under the waters of Lake Hylia. The Light Spirit's angry roars shook the cave behind him, and Link didn't stop swimming until he was far away on the opposite shore.

When he was about ten yards away from solid ground, the adrenalin rush wore off and he was suddenly very acutely aware of the sunlight literally causing him to burn up. The cool waters kept the sunlight at bay temporarily, but he couldn't stay underwater forever. After all, like all other living creatures, he did need to breathe.

_It's an interesting sensation, being burned and soothed at the same time,_ he reflected, trying to ignore the pain and the throbbing of his hand- the one that had been burned by the Light Spirit.

After getting to shore, Link hurriedly dashed to the shady area under the cliffs and crouched in the grass, panting from exertion with water streaming off his clothes. His sandles had somehow managed to miraculously stay on, but everything was sopping wet and he feared that his sword and shield were in serious danger of rusting. He then realized just how heavy the solid steel weapons felt and he let them fall to the ground with a dull clang. His energy spent, Link then flopped backwards onto the soft grass and fell asleep. **  
**

* * *

By the time Link woke up it was already nighttime, which he was incredibly thankful for as it meant he wouldn't have to deal with the whole burning-up-in-sunlight thing. That was a total pain, pun intended.

When he glanced around, he noticed that Fyer was still manning the cannon that was his only way out of the large basin that contained Lake Hylia. Or rather, his Light half was. Hopefully the old man wouldn't be able to see Link clearly enough to make out his greyish skin and red eyes, since it would be nice if he could just get up top without a fuss. Without further ado, Link grabbed his stuff and walked the long way around the lake, unwilling to get himself soaked yet again. And as it was fall nearing winter, the nights were getting colder and he didn't want to freeze to death because of wet clothing. Wind chill factor and all that.

"One flight for twenty rupees, coming right up." The clown-like man said, taking the red gem from Link's outstretched palm. The teen walked past him and clambered into the cramped quarters, awaiting the sound of Fyer's distinctive wind-up machine. He'd never understood quite why he needed to do that, since as far as he could tell from looking at it the machine did nothing but make a very annoying song that played over and over again. And what in the name of Dark World Hyrule were those weird chicken-lady creatures on top? Huh. Link would never understand that guy.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" Link shrieked at the top of his lungs, shattering the still night air. He couldn't help it, every single time he used the cannon. It was just that fear of smashing into the wall and becoming a Link pancake, or missing the mark entirely and colliding at high velocity with the unforgiving hard-packed earthen walls. Really, who could blame him? Even Rusl screamed, and he was older and probably braver than Link was. Even though his Light half was the Hero of Twilight, as they were now calling him in the Twilight Realm, and the bearer of the Triforce of Courage those blessings bestowed by the Goddesses did not apply to the residents of the Dark World. The reason was simply this: the Goddesses didn't bother with the Dark World, clear and simple. They preferred to watch over the World of Light instead, worshipped by the Light-dwellers.

After a bone-rattling impact, Link descended the ladder and exited to the soft nighttime sounds of Hyrule Field. Seeing the horse grass by the side of the path, he wondered if the Light counterpart of Epona would come if he called. After all, he was technically Link, just his Shadow counterpart.  He stooped and picked one of the horseshoe shaped reeds and blew, playing the soft and beautiful melody of Epona's Song. It had been passed down through his family for generations, and Epona had heard that song and learned to answer to it ever since she was a foal.

"Neeeiighhh!!"

Link's pointed ears pricked as he heard the sound of hoofbeats thundering along the path, and sure enough the galloping form of his horse could be seen coming in the distance. Within a few seconds she was there, nuzzling him. She seemed a bit confused at first, but Link patted her snout and stroked her flank soothingly. A carrot from his pocket disappeared into her mouth and he up in the saddle, suddenly feeling much more confident when riding atop several hundred pounds of muscle and horsepower.

"Hiya!" Link said, flicking the reins. Epona broke into a fast-paced gallop, neck outstretched and mane waving in the cool night air. The Light half of his horse was a lighter color than the Epona he knew, and her mane and tail were a lighter shade of greyish white. Other than that, there was no other difference. The way she ran with long, loping strides was the same, the pattern of her hoofbeats striking the earth was the same, even the way she would flick her head and kick up her heels when jumping was the same. Link felt almost as if he was home again.

Speaking of home, Link, being a fairly smart person, realized that if the Light and Dark Worlds were nearly identical copies of each other, then that meant that there was a good chance of a Light World counterpart of the mirror that had brought him there being in the basement of his Light Half in Ordon Village. There was a chance that it wouldn't be there, and he knew that if he was caught there would be dire consequences, but it was his only hope of getting home that he could think of. So with that in mind, Link headed home, to Ordon.

They made good time, going past Castle Town and beginning to head due south towards Ordon. But when the first streaks of dawn peeked just over the horizon, Link knew he should hide out at a town and get some food before the harsh rays of the sun burned his dusky grey skin. Castle Town was a definite no-no, as the large population would cause him to be recognized instantly. He'd heard stories of Dark Worlders who had ended up in the Light World through magical accidents, and how they'd been treated like demons or monsters by the people living there.

He shuddered involuntarily, remembering one instance where a man had survived to describe his experiences. Having landed right in the fountain of Castle Town's square, he'd been chased out with spears by the soldiers and nearly impaled by their arrows and swords. The way he'd talked he'd made it sound like they were the monsters, twisting them so that they'd seemed as sinister as the bulblins that killed for fun. Of course he knew that the story was exaggerated, but there was a grain of truth in it. He didn't know how the Light-dwellers would react to him, but he didn't want to risk being run out of town with sharp pointy objects. That would not be pleasant.

_So that leaves... let's see... Kakariko Village._ Link glanced at the map he kept in his pocket and estimated the amount of time it would take to get there. If he cut straight through Hyrule Field, about... a half hour or so, depending on how fast Epona was pushed. He glanced at the mare and was pleased to see that she looked barely winded, having an amazing amount of endurance that no other horse in the kingdom could match. He knew that after some rich lord's son had challenged him to a race in Castle Town a while ago, and Epona had beaten the other teen's stallion by at least five lengths. Needless to say, the rich teen was not happy at the fact that his fancy horse with the insanely long pedigree had been beaten by a country draft horse.

"Yah!" Link cried, flicking the reins and pulling slightly to the right. The chestnut mare obediently sped up and turned off into the narrow passage leading to the west side of Hyrule Field. Link glanced at the first rays of dawn that were creeping across the ground and grimaced slightly, wondering if he would get to town before the sunbeams or not. He guessed not, considering he still had ten minutes of open grassland to traverse. Oh, joy.

 


	4. It Buurrnnnsss!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter marks the conclusion of the first third of the story. I'll try to post the rest of it today, but formatting each one is really tedious... I don't know if anyone is even reading this, but at this point I think I'll just post the rest of the story for completion's sake. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: Oops, forgot this for the past couple chapters. I don't own Legend of Zelda.

* * *

 

"Hyah!" Link cried, spurring the horse on faster. She eagerly obliged and leapt forward, hooves churning up the earth in long, galloping strides. The sun's rays finally caught up to the Dark Worlder when he was crossing the bridge over Kakariko Gorge, and his skin began to sizzle and burn almost instantly.

Plumes of smoke were rolling off his back, and a small flame erupted on his clothes. Link quickly patted it out, hissing slightly in pain at the burns all over his body. Epona, seemingly sensing her rider's distress, whinnied and ran faster. Within minutes they were galloping headlong into Kakariko, the horse splashing to a stop in the town's spring.

Link all but tumbled off the mare's back and into the water, sighing in relief as it soothed his burns. He frowned as one of the numerous fairies flitting around flew over and healed him completely in a shimmering burst of sparkling dust accompanied by pleasant, bell-like chimes. Since when had the springs had fairies in them?

Come to think of it, Lanaryu Spring had them too, he just hadn't been paying attention with the whole angry-Light-Spirit-that-wanted-to-kill-him thing. Huh. He wondered if the same thing could be done to the springs in the Dark World, though they didn't have Light Spirits in them. Perhaps the presence of the holy spirits was what had drawn the fairies there in the first place.

Oh well. That was less important, since at the moment his first priority was getting out of the way of the quickly approaching sun. Leaping over the small waterfall and ducking around the rocks, which, incidentally, had the same swirling markings on them that the Light Spirit had on its body, Link made his way to the small pool in the back. From there he proceeded to climb up onto the overhanging ledge and crawl into the cave next to the spring.

In the Dark World the entrance was blocked by numerous boulders, which was why he'd taken the long route. But it seemed that in the Light World those boulders had been destroyed, leaving both ends of the cave open.

Exhaling heavily, Link reflected on the day's events. So much had happened that the time between his rescue of Talo from the treetop and his appearance in the Light World's spring of Lake Hylia felt like an eternity, even though it had only been a few days.

The teen's eyelids began to droop, and he rested with his back against the stone walls behind him with his sword and shield on the floor. The revelation that he had no way of knowing that he would ever get home for certain was very depressing, and the living shadow let out a huge sigh before sinking gratefully into dreamland. **  
**

* * *

When he awoke, Link was confused and disoriented for a second before the memories of the previous day crashed down on him. Wincing slightly as his sore muscles made themselves very well known through a cacophony of protest and aches, he examined the scars left by the burns that were peppered all over his body- most clearly on his back, where he could feel them rubbing against his shirt. The slight raised bumps were a bit sensitive at the moment, but hopefully that would fade until they were nothing more than dark patches of skin. It seemed that the fairies hadn't been able to completely heal him after all. Oh, well, not a big deal.

Poking his head out of the narrow tunnel that led to the small overhang behind the spring, Link saw happily that night was falling and twilight was already creeping across the decrepit buildings. Then he froze as a crawling sensation worked its way up his back, and a chill fell over him. His every instinct screamed of danger, and he was able to duck back into the cave just milliseconds before a huge glowing bird with the same swirling markings and coloration of the snake Light Spirit had. Eyeing the glowing sphere of swirling light held in the creature's talons, Link then came to the rightful conclusion that this was another Spirit Spring, and he was intruding on enemy territory. Not good.

_Oh, not again! The snake was bad enough, now there's a bird too!? How many **** Light Spirits ARE there!?_ he thought, scooping up his sword and shield and debating on whether to stay in the cave and be a sitting duck but with a chance of hiding from the angry guardian spirit, or to make a break for it and get attacked the moment he left the safety of the stone cave. Epona had disappeared sometime while he'd been sleeping, which wasn't unusual for her but was extremely inconvenient if Link wanted to make a quick getaway. And especially if he hoped to escape from another angry guardian deity unscathed.

Knowing that he'd been extremely lucky while running from the snake in Lanaryu, the living shadow knew that his luck was unlikely to hold against this bird as well. And having had a run-in with angry spirits before, he knew that trying to stand up to this one would be a very bad idea.

Poes were bad enough with their scythes and all, but guardian Light Spirits were probably a hundred times more powerful and no doubt waaay angrier. Link had no idea why they seemed so mad at him for some reason, other than the fact that he even existed. And the snake in Lake Hylia had called him a "demon", even though the only difference between him and the Light Dwellers was skin/eye color and his aversion to direct light. Other than that, he was just as intelligent and had the same, or at least a similar, personality to his Light World counterpart.

Besides, in the Dark World the Light Dwellers were the demons, since they'd been persecuting the Shadows for almost as long as written history recorded. Hence the reason all contact with them had been cut off, though it seemed that some hidden ways of transport between them were still available (his, ah, _accident_ had proved that).

The entire cave shook and chips of stone rained from above, causing Link to duck and raise his shield like an umbrella. It stopped after a few seconds, but then there was another, much harder quake that came soon after. Link wondered offhandedly if the divine bird was trying to bring the whole place down in his head or something.

His musings were confirmed when the ceiling suddenly gave out, the solid stone boulders just barely missing him and crashing down to seal off the exit that led to the village. The ledge overhanging the pool behind the spring was still intact, however, but that would mean running right in the spirit's talons. Therefore, it was essentially suicide, since Link had no doubts that the creature had every intention of killing him like the monster they believed him to be. It wasn't a happy thought.

Coughing slightly on the dust that had risen up, Link gulped as he realized that the large hole now in the ceiling left him very, very exposed. But his revelation was a bit too late, however, and when he looked up the night sky was already blotted out by the huge form of the angry owl-thing. It probably wouldn't be very happy if it knew what Link thought of it as (owl-thing, bird-thing, creature, etc;) but at that point the teen really didn't care because he thought he was going to die.

At that point he was pretty much cowering with fear over in a dark corner while thinking I'MGONNADIEI'MGONNADIEI'MGONNADIE over and over and over again. His mind was just running on autopilot and repeating that phrase like a mantra, and for him the angry shrieks of the guardian spirit didn't even register as much more than white noise, though it was actually screaming things like, "How did you get here, all methods of travel were destroyed, your race was forsaken by the Goddesses, blah blah blah."

Yeah, real pleasant. Wonderfully charming fellow, that bird.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Link screamed as the creature attempted to reach into the hole and grab him, the glowing sphere previously held in its talons now floating above its head. The wickedly sharp claws barely grazed his shirt, and the close proximity of the holy light caused his skin to blister and smoke again.

Well, that was just great. Luckily for him, however, the small opening wasn't large enough for the Light Spirit to fit all the way through, so Link was just out of his reach. After a few minutes of fruitless grabbing, the spirit eventually gave out one last, frustrated shriek and faded away back into the spring. A few minutes after that, Link finally deemed it safe enough to move and shakily uncurled himself from the small ball he'd been huddled in.

The movement nearly made him fall over, and his entire body was trembling uncontrollably. Gingerly examining the burned part of his arm, Link cautiously gazed out over the spring. The usual glow that came from within the waters was gone, though the fairies still flitted about. One of them flew over and healed him again, disappearing in a flash of sparkles and bell-like chimes afterwards. He then made a break for it, leaping off the ledge and dashing across the spring. He didn't stop until he came to one of the town's abandoned houses and locked himself in, thanking whatever powers kept him from being immediately shot down as he ran across the spring to safety.

But, as they say, out of the frying pan and into the fire.

As it turned out, after the eradication of most of Hyrule's monsters (courtesy of one Hero of Twilight and the Twilight Princess) inhabitants from Castle Town looking for a new life of at least a less crowded residential area had been moving to Kakariko. That meant that many of the previously abandoned houses were no longer abandoned, which meant that Link had walked right in on a newly-wed couple who were, well…

_Ugh, gross. Are they kissing or trying to suck each other's faces off?_ Link wondered absentmindedly. Then he said, "Agh! Sorry, Sorry! Uhh, I'll just be going now," before he hastily turned right back around and exited the building. Outside he leaned his back against the doorway and wiped off his forehead in an exaggerated motion, muttering to himself. "Ack, that was... gross. Right, gotta make sure this one's empty..."

 


	5. Well, This Ain't Good

After that... uh, _interesting_ scene, Link made one hundred percent sure that the next building he hid himself in was completely empty. He was just in time, too, as the first rays of dawn were just splashing across the doorway as he closed it behind him. It had previously been barred with planks of wood, but it was old and brittle and the nails were rusting, so Link had been able to break them off easily. **  
**

Relaxing against the wall, the shadow examined the decrepit room. There was a solid inch of dust on everything, and the only furniture was an old dresser and some chairs. There were several crates stacked in a corner, along with a couple pots against the walls and a motheaten rug in the center of the room. All in all, not too bad apart from the dust. He could have chosen worse, such as the house next door with holes in the ceiling and broken windows. **  
**

Link's stomach chose that moment to give out a protesting growl, painfully reminding him that he hadn't eaten since... well... wow, not since he'd been pulled into the Light World. So that was a few days. No wonder he was so hungry. Unfortunately, whatever food he usually carried with him was either too mangled to eat from his desperate swim across Lake Hylia plus his encounter with the Light Spirit Eldin. And since he hadn't actually had that much in the first place, since he hadn't been expecting a long journey, Link had nothing. And no food or water next to a volcano equals starvation/dehydration/all of the above. **  
**

Therefore, Link would have to buy food from somewhere when night fell. Which was... uh... Link peeked out the window and saw that most people were just beginning to walk around, while the sun wasn't yet fully risen in the sky. So he had at least ten or eleven hours before it would be dark enough to leave the house. Oh, joy.

Then a thought struck him. Did he even have any money? The answer to that question was yes, because when he checked his belt pouch several shining rupees glinted back at him. He had five green ones, two reds, four blues, two yellows, and a purple. Total, that was about... whoah, one hundred thirty-five rupees. When had he gotten that much money? Oh yeah, he'd accumulated it over many years. Plus, most monsters dropped money when they died. And the purple had come from an old chest he'd found while cleaning up his basement. So that was good. Link definitely had enough to buy supplies for himself, and he could get water from the pools and rivers he knew ran through the fields on the way back to Ordon. He always kept an extra bottle on him for just that reason, so now his only problem was what he was going to do for ten hours.

Wonderful. Just wonderful. Now, let's see, how many pictures could he draw in the dust? Oh, look, here's a goat, there's a dog, that flower looks more like a tree... **  
**

* * *

After waiting for over ten hours in a small enclosed area, Link was understandably quite antsy. He didn't know if it was possible to develop cabin fever in less than half a day, but if it was he'd done it. Having grown up surrounded by forest and trees and fresh air, Link was very much an outdoors person. He loved feeling free and wasn't too fond of enclosed spaces, which was partly why he enjoyed riding Epona so much. It gave a feeling of freedom he could never achieve simply wandering around Hyrule Field on his own two feet.

Glancing out the window and making sure nobody was still out and about to see him, Link opened the door and quickly slipped out into the night. It was almost never cool here in Kakariko, due to the volcano right next to it, so Link almost wanted to start panting like a dog in his heavy metal shield and solid steel sword. But he shook it off and quickly approached the Goron child he saw near the edge of town, who had set up a small shop with some food and supplies. Making sure to stay half in the shadows, he quickly bought some dried meat and a few withered apples, handing over a red rupee for the goods.

Link nearly had a heart attack when the Goron commented on his eyes, saying, "Your eyes are kind of funny lookin'. Are they naturally red, or do you wear something over them?"

To this, Link simply replied, "I have red glasses." Luckily, the child believed him and didn't say anything more. Upon taking his purchases, Link then remembered that there were hot springs on top of the inn, and that he could get water from there. So after thanking the Goron shopkeeper and turning away into the shadows, he made his way up to the hot springs.

Hesitating, Link paused before exiting the area. The water looked so inviting, and he hadn't had a proper bath in ages... deciding to take a quick dip, he stripped down to his leggings and hopped in, sighing in sheer bliss. Allowing himself to just soak for about an hour, Link let his mind wander as he observed the beautiful night sky. To be honest, it reminded him of home. A wave of nostalgia passed over him, and he once again wondered if he would ever get back.

Home... it seemed so far away now, an entire world apart. But he couldn't think like that. He would get home, even if it meant breaking into Hyrule Castle and asking Princess Zelda to use her magic. He knew that she could, since her Dark World counterpart had spells to enable people to travel between realms. It was a last resort, and had never before been used in the course of Dark World Hyrule's history. Therefore, it stood to reason that the Princess Zelda of the Light World would have a similar spell, to get back into the Dark World.

Deciding that staying in the water any longer would become a risk of being discovered, Link hopped out and put his clothes back on. Knowing that the heat would dry him off quickly enough, he opted to stay dripping wet for the moment. Consequently, his sandals made some very odd sounding squelching noises when he walked, which reminded Link of the time he'd slipped in a puddle of mud and had to walk around like that because his other clothes were all drying out from the storm they'd had the previous night. It had been somewhat embarrassing, especially because the children had decided that a good prank would be to lock him out of the spring and block the tunnel. And when the mud dried and started flaking off, every time Link moved his clothes would start crackling and popping.

Upon descending the path down to the street, Link was met with an unwelcome sight. A mob of villagers, led by what looked to be the innkeeper, were waiting for him with torches and pitchforks. Link wondered offhandedly what they needed pitchforks for, since there was no livestock or hay, but that was deemed unimportant when they all yelled and stampeded him at the same time. Roaring things like "Demon!", "Evil Spirit!", and "Monster!", together that all made a very imposing sight. Link stood stock still for a moment before bolting towards the horse grass growing near the spring and managed to pick a strand before the Light Spirit burst out of the waters and screeched at him.

Blowing the three distinctive notes while running wasn't easy, and Link waited desperately for Epona to answer his call while dashing through Hyrule Field, avoiding the monsters, the angry mob, and above all, heading due south for Faron Woods. A few seconds later he heard a whinny and the chestnut mare galloped to his side, easily keeping pace with the mob and their victim. Link had never been so glad to see his horse, and immediately swung himself onto her back with an ease born from years of practice. With the mare's strong legs and seemingly endless stamina, the two quickly left the mob in the dust. Seeing the trees of Faron looming a few hundred yards in from of them, Link finally slowed Epona down to a comfortable trot.

The Hylian smiled at the sight, a feeling of comfort and security washing over him as they entered the forest. He heard the chatter of the woodland creatures and the howl of a wolf, with the rustling of the trees and soft whisper of wind moving through the leaves. This was his territory, his homeland. He was so close now, so close that if he closed his eyes and relaxed he could almost believe that these trees were _his_ trees, that the wind was _his_ wind, that the woodland creatures were _his_ woodland creatures…

But they weren't. They were His; the other Link's. They may _sound_ like his, they may _feel_ like his, but they weren't. They weren't _his.  His_ trees, _his_ wind, _his_ forest was an entire world away, in a whole different realm. But less than two miles away rested his greatest hope of getting back. He hoped, at least.

Ordon... Talo and Malo... Beth... Ilia... Colin... Bo... Uli... Fado... Sera... Haunch... Jaggle... Pergie... Rusl…

Link was so close, and yet so far.

 


	6. Nice Doggy, Er, Wolfy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at the halfway point of this story. Hope that you've enjoyed it so far, folks! I know it's definitely not my best work, but I don't think it's TOO bad. Or maybe that's just me being a really bad judge of quality, who knows.
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own LoZ, that belongs to Nintendo.

* * *

After about an hour of riding, Link decided to stop for the day and camp out near the old temple he knew lay deep within the wood. Since it was infested with monsters most people avoided it, but he knew that if one were to walk around the back and reach a hidden path, one could reach the forest floor hundreds of feet beneath. There, numerous small caves lay beneath the large roots of the enormous trees. **  
**

Since the path was too narrow for Epona, Link was forced to dismount and continue on foot. Glancing uneasily at the slowly lightening sky, he patted the horse's mane and watched her trot happily back to where he knew Ordon was located farther south. He then set off down the winding trail as fast as his somewhat loose sandals would allow, since if he tripped and fell it would mean a very unpleasant death smashed to bits on the ground below. **  
**

Hopefully once he reached the bottom, the thick foliage would hide the sun's rays, or at least filter them enough so that he wouldn't burn like a dry twig when they touched him. Yeah, that hurt. Anyway, once he reached the bottom Link immediately went for his usual spot: a nice, roomy cave nestled snugly beneath the "bridge" of wood that led into the abandoned temple-ish thing. **  
**

Large enough for his entire house to fit in it, there was a small pool of water near the entrance and vines acting like a living doorway. The inside was blanketed with soft green grass and dappled with rocks ranging from about the size of his palm to being large enough to lie down on. In short, it was a bit like his own private garden- complete with flowers growing in spots where sunlight hit. **  
**

Unfortunately, it seemed that Link had an unexpected visitor. When he arrived at the cavern, lying on the largest rock and curled up into a furry ball was a large, grey and black wolf with what looked like an unusually large "mane" and a green stripe running from the top of its muzzle to the tip of its tail. 

The Dark Worlder's first reaction was to tense up and flee, but he quickly discarded the idea knowing that wolves could run at much greater speeds than any human, or hylian for that matter, could ever hope to match. So if he ran, he'd be hunted down in a matter of seconds.  **  
**

So either he would back out slowly and hope it hadn't noticed him or he could stay and fight it off. Choosing the more intelligent method after noticing its dagger-like claws and thick, sinewy muscles, he attempted to back away slowly and exit as quietly as possible.  **  
**

But alas, he ended up stepping on a dry leaf and blowing any chance he had of avoiding confrontation. After all, wolves were known for being extremely territorial, and he was certain it wouldn't like him encroaching on its territory. Then, as the massive canine slowly and deliberately rose and padded towards the Shadow, a thought occurred to him. Didn't wolves usually travel in packs? So unless this was a loner, that meant he'd be dealing with five or six wolves soon... oh, this was not good. **  
**

Link unsheathed his sword and settled into a battle stance, all the while inching slowly backwards into open ground. It was a risky move and he knew it; since if the wolf's pack was out there he'd be surrounded on all sides. Throw in the rising sun that would show up in around a few minutes, and that left him in quite the predicament. **  
**

_Funny, it's usually Talo that gets into these kinds of situations and I have to rescue him. Not the other way around. Only there's nobody to save me here,_ Link thought, watching as the beast before him tensed and lifted its lips, a low guttural growl issuing from its throat.  **  
**

"Um... nice doggy? Er, wolfy?" Link offered weakly before the canine leapt, bowling him over and sending them both directly into the shallow pool nearby. The small fish within it scattered at the intrusion of the two strange creatures into their underwater domain, and a white cloud of bubbles rose to the surface. Link, weighed down by his sword and shield, was forced to release the shield if he didn't want to drown.  **  
**

The wolf was already clambering out of the pool and shaking out its fur, the sunlight filtering down through the trees glancing off the residual droplets and making them gleam and flash. Cursing slightly under his breath, Link leapt out; bolting past the wolf and into the relative safety of the cave. **  
**

The wolf merely glanced at him with a puzzled expression (could wolves even have puzzled expressions?) and shook itself, water droplets flying everywhere. The clear liquid still coating Link's skin like a protective layer steamed wherever it was hit by direct sunlight, which wasn't very often. After all, they _were_ at the very bottom of the forest floor. If not for that, he would have had several new burns to add to his collection.  **  
**

Suddenly, a howl rang through the forest. Then another, and another. The wolf took up a defensive position, hackles raised and ears flat against its skull. Its lips were pulled back, and its gleaming pearly whites were shown for all the world to see. It started snarling at the undergrowth, and Link was startled by the sudden shift in attention from him to the approaching pack **  
**

In one way, this was a good thing. On the other hand, it was horrible. Now he had to deal with an entire pack instead of just one, which was infinitely more difficult as wolves were known for being able to work flawlessly as a pack to take down prey much larger than themselves. The good thing was that he now had the abnormally large wolf with odd markings on his side, since it didn't look as if it was best friends with its fellow canines on the way. This led Link to the conclusion that it was a lone wolf, either having left its pack or was chased out. **  
**

A pair of piercing amber eyes glinted from the brush, then vanished as fast as they had appeared. They were followed by another pair, and another, until Link had counted at least six or seven wolves arranged in a semicircle around the cave's entrance, cutting off any means of escape. Link was at a disadvantage without his shield, which was still at the bottom of the pool and far out of his reach. **  
**

Then, a large grey wolf padded out of the bushes, flanked by two smaller black and brown ones. Probably the alpha male and its lieutenants. He thought, taking up a defensive stance as well behind the still growling canine. **  
**

The two beasts locked gazes for a minute, cerulean blue against piercing amber. The two lieutenants backed away and vanished into the shadows, leaving the two beasts to fight without interference. **  
**

_Blue eyes... unusual for a wolf,_ he noted with slight interest. It brought to mind the legend of the Blue-Eyed Beast, the hero that would save the Twilight Realm from certain doom. Or so the legend said, anyway. Though Midna, the Princess of Twilight, had pretty much said that the Blue-Eyed Beast had helped her regain her power and oust Zant from his stolen throne, while hinting that the Blue-Eyed Beast and the Hero of Twilight from the Light World were one and the same.

But no... what were the chances that he'd meet the legendary creature _here_ _,_ in Faron Woods, of all places? Next to nothing. He figured that his Light Half was probably some high-ranking general at the Castle by now, basking the glory of his triumph.   **  
**

Besides, if this wolf really _was_ the Blue-Eyed Beast, he'd probably know of the Dark World from Midna and wouldn't have attacked him. So this animal was probably just an animal, albeit one with blue eyes and unusual markings.  **  
**

The challenger made the first move, leaping at the larger wolf with a primal roar. But it landed on thin air; the other canine having already moved out of the way. The moment the grey-furred wolf landed hard, unbalanced, it moved to use the opening and headbutted the pack leader directly in the side. **  
**

Link heard a slight crack and winced involuntarily. That looked like it _hurt_ .  The green-striped wolf sank its fangs into the other's ruff and slashed at its vulnerable belly, ripping open large gashes. It then backed off to let the grey wolf get back on its feet, whimpering in pain. **  
**

A few seconds later, the challenger dipped its head to the victorious beast. They seemed to have a silent conversation that Link couldn't follow, communication with their body language and short barks or yips alone. It was amazing, really. The loser then bowed its head and let out a strong howl, trotting off into the trees. The two then heard the sound of paws thudding across the ground, fading off into the distance. **  
**

They green-striped wolf turned back to Link, not even out of breath from the short but fierce tussle. The Shadow gulped and nervously moved back, trapped in the enclosed cavern. The wolf came closer, closer, closer... Link shut his eyes in fear, dreading the inevitable. he would never get home now, he'd be eaten by a wolf in the middle of the forest and no one would ever know... the wolf would bite his head off, the wolf would slash his throat open, the wolf would... was the wolf _licking_ him?!  **  
**

Okay, that was weird. Maybe it was somebody's pet. But there was no collar. **  
**

He cracked open an eyelid and was flabbergasted to see the wolf calmly licking his fingers, bumping its head on the palm of his hand. He slowly reached forward and began rubbing the wolf behind the ears like he did for the dogs in Castle Town, those cute little strays that seemed to be living in every alleyway. The massive animal's eyes closed happily and its tail started swishing across the ground, making a soft rustling noise in the grass. **  
**

Well, this was definitely one of the weirder things Link had seen on his short adventure. Since when had wolves started acting like huge puppies? Then again, he'd found a portal to the Light World in his basement and gotten chased out of town by two divine guardian spirits plus a mob complete with torches and pitchforks within the span of less than a week, so he supposed that a friendly wolf that acted like a dog wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen. Just very close. **  
**

Link glanced over the pool and say that several golden shafts of sunlight had pierced the forest's canopy and were glinting off the water's surface, making it flash and glitter in the light.

"Well, there goes my shield. Looks like I'll have to get it back when night falls. Now, are somebody's pet or something? 'Cause I'm pretty sure wild wolves aren't this affectionate," the Shadow muttered to himself, crouching and checking the wolf for a collar he might have missed under its thick fur.  **  
**

The large canine merely tilted its head to the side in a quizzical fashion and yawned, showing off a gaping maw filled with deadly white fangs. Link couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear shoot through him at the sight, even though the animal appeared to be friendly. **  
**

"Huh. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to take a nap," he said, sheathing his sword and swinging it off his shoulder and onto the grassy floor. He sat down with his back against the large stone the wolf had been sleeping on when he came in and yawned, leaning back and relaxing. The wolf curled up next to him and he unconsciously began fondling its thick fur, combing out the various clumps and dirt. Within minutes, the nocturnal hylian was fast asleep.

* * *

After hearing that the Dark Worlder's breaths had settled into a slow, steady rhythm, the wolf quietly got up and padded out of the cave and into the sunlight, reveling in the warm beams. It then looked back at the sleeping figure and raised its paw, touching a slightly raised area in its chest. A flurry of dark squares instantly engulfed it and it changed shape, its tail retracting, its muzzle flattening, and its spinal going vertical. When the transformation was complete, a young man with pointed ears stood in the place of the large wolf.

He glanced at his twin sleeping in the cave and frowned, then left his sword and shield on the pool's edge and waded into the water. A few seconds later he emerged with the shield his Shadow had dropped, noting with interest the exact same design that decorated his own.

The only difference was that instead the the Triforce, the phoenix was holding up a single, upside-down grey triangle and the blue area was deep red with the phoenix colored jet black. Other than that, they were identical, albeit the Hero's shield having a significantly more battered appearance.

Setting it out of dry on the grass, Link looked at his Shadow. It reminded him of the old legends that Rusl used to tell him about, the ones about the Dark World. But those were merely legends... weren't they?

But if they really were true... then lying before him would be the legendary Dark Link. The one that the Hero of Time had fought in the Water Temple. The one that had nearly killed him.

And now he was here, here in the World of Light. Link didn't think he was hostile, but if he was, the Hero of Twilight and the Blue-Eyed Beast would be ready. If they fought, the Living Shadow wouldn't stand a chance.

 


	7. Two Sides of the Same Rupee

When Link awoke, the moon had risen and a crackling fire was blazing at the cave's entrance. The blue-eyed wolf from earlier raised its head as he stirred and stood up, walking over and sitting down by the warm flames. The teen's eyebrows rose in disbelief as he saw his shield, recovered from the pool, sitting innocently on the ground. He picked it up and slung it back over his shoulder, glancing as he did so at the wolf dozing by the flames. **  
**

"That's strange, my shield was definitely in the water earlier... so how did it get here?" Link murmured, half to himself and half to the wolf. He'd never known a wild animal to come so close to fire before, and came to the conclusion that it either was or had been somebody's pet. He felt kind of silly talking to it, but there just something told him the creature was smarter than it first appeared. **  
**

The canine merely looked up and twitched its ears before standing and pressing a paw to a small bump in its chest. Link watched the wolf transform in utter bewilderment with a touch of fear, observing the process with horrified fascination. **  
**

_What IS that thing?!_ he thought, scooting back a bit farther. When the change was complete, before him stood what was undoubtedly his Light Half, complete with deep blue earrings as opposed to his red and the signature green tunic of the Hero, the one that the hero was always depicted wearing in the storybooks he'd read.   **  
**

But his eyes... his eyes were unchanged, like that of the wolf. Wild and proud, they seemed to contain so much sadness... and yet were filled with an inner flame, the courage possessed by only those blessed by the power of the Goddesses. The power only given to Light Worlders, never accessible to people like him to- no, he shouldn't think like that. **  
**

This was definitely the Hero of Twilight he'd heard about, as well as the Blue-Eyed Beast of Twili legend. So if that was true... then Princess Midna really hadn't been kidding. That wolf she'd talked about and the hylian she'd traveled with- this was the one!  But how would his Light Half react to him? Would he try to kill him like the townsfolk did? Or would he help, sympathize? **  
**

"So, who are you?" asked the Hero, nearly making Link of the Dark World jump out of his skin.

"I'm Link. And you're the Blue-Eyed Beast and the Hero of Twilight, right? The one everyone's been talking about. You saved Princess Midna and the Twilight Realm; and by extension, the Dark World," he replied, slightly dazed from the shock of seeing the famous Savior of the Twili himself.

"No, _I'm_ Link. Unless... wait, you said Princess Midna? Do you know her?" His eyes glinted hopefully, and he perked up in interest. **  
**

"Well, I don't know her personally, but I've heard of her. The entire kingdom was in an uproar when she announced that a Light Worlder had been the one to save the Twili. Most of them weren't very happy about that. And yes, I'm Link too. However, I'm from... well, have you heard of the Dark World?" The Shadow paused, wondering if he'd said too much. Just as when he'd been talking to the wolf, there was just some feeling that told him that this Hero could be trusted, that he could tell him everything and he'd understand. **  
**

"Wait, how can you be-? Oh... OH... so the legends are real... so you're Dark Link? From the Dark World? Wait, if you're from the Dark World, how do you know about the Twilight Realm? Aren't they different worlds? Gah, this is confusing... can I just call you Dark so we don't get confused?" the Hero asked, sitting down next to Dark. **  
**

The Living Shadow nodded. Dark... that had a nice ring to it. **  
**

"Yeah, I'm from the Dark World. I know about the Twilight Realm because we're pretty much neighbors, and we trade with each other. Princess Zelda handles all of that, though, so I don't really know much about it. All I know is that some guy took over the throne, which was why the Princess sealed off the Mirror because she didn' want him to take over our world too," Dark replied, getting more comfortable talking to his Light Half when it was established that he wouldn't try to kill him like the others. **  
**

"Hm. There's a Mirror of Twilight in your world too? Can it be used to get to the Twilight Realm?" Link asked eagerly, his face shining with hope. "Wait... if you're from the Dark World, and this is the Light World, how did you get here?" **  
**

"Um, yeah, that's sort of complicated..." Dark replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. He then recounted his tale, starting from the day he found the mirror in his basement to his encounters with the two Light Spirits to his flight across Hyrule Field and into the woods, ending with his discovery of Wolf Link sleeping in the cave. Link was silent throughout this, brow furrowed and his head cocked to the side slightly- _like a wolf,_ Dark thought- pondering this information.  **  
**

"So that's why you came here? In hopes that the mirror may still be in the basement and that you could use it to get back home?" Link asked when he was finished. Dark nodded, and asked if his Light Half had ever seen it. The teen shook his head no, but added that he hadn't cleaned out his basement in years. So if they looked for it, it might still be there. **  
**

Hope blossomed within the Dark Worlder, and he asked if they could go soon, as soon as possible. He wouldn't admit it, but he was homesick for the trees and dim lighting of his homeland, of the Dark World. Much like the Light Worlders depended on the light to survive, the Dark Worlders thrived in darkness and shadow. The lack of such, except at nighttime, was maddening. It was like setting a thick bone, heavy with meat, just out of the reach of a starving dog. So close, and yet so far. **  
**

In response, the Hero just smiled and stood, gesturing for his Dark Half to follow before dousing the fire. Dark was practically bouncing with excitement, eager to be off. Link just laughed and said he looked like an overeager puppy. Then the two started on the path to Ordon, where Dark would finally get home at last. **  
**

He couldn't wait. **  
**

* * *

"So, theoretically, since you found it in your basement in the Dark World, there should be another one in my basement here?" Link asked, coughing at the dust clouds drifting around the room. The two hylians were in the Hero's basement, looking for the mirror that had started it all.

"Yup. I found it right around... here! Look! I got it!" Dark yelled triumphantly, pulling out the ancient looking-glass. It was exactly as he remembered it, right down to the small scratches on the side. Even the riddle and the color scheme were the same.

"Hey, Dark. If that mirror brought you to the Light World, could it bring me to the Dark World?" Link asked suddenly, examining it curiously. Dark nodded, wondering why he would want to go to the Dark World. Voicing the question, his Light Half smiled and simply said one word: "Midna."

"Um, please explain."

"Well, when Midna went back to the Twilight Realm, she shattered the Mirror of Twilight so that nobody like Zant would ever be able to terrorize the World of Light again like he did last year. Ever since I've been looking for a way to get back," he answered. Dark examined his face for a moment and detected a hint of pink dusting his cheeks, allowing a sly grin of make its way onto the Shadow's lips.

"You like her, don't you?" he asked bluntly. Link hesitated, then nodded in agreement. His Dark Half couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter, imagining the uproar the kingdom would be in once the Hero came along.

"You know the Twili aren't going to like that, even if you did save them all. You may the legendary Blue-Eyed Beast, but you're still a Light Worlder," he said, shaking his head slightly.

Link lifted his chin stubbornly and glared at his shadow for laughing, saying, "I don't really care. Besides, she's perfectly capable of living in the Light World, and I can live in the Twilight Realm if need be. I'm half Twilit Beast, remember?" He grinned, good nature restored remarkably quickly.

Dark just shrugged and held up the mirror. "Do you want to go now, or should you check in with Rusl or Ilia before we go?" he asked. Watching in amusement as Link's expression changed from hope to horror, he smirked as his Light Half turned on his heel and dashed up the ladder.

"Wait there! Ilia's gonna kill me if I just leave Epona without explanation again!" the teen called back over his shoulder, leaving the snickering Living Shadow behind. He remembered the time when his Ilia of the Dark World had practically beaten him up for getting one tiny scratch on his horse that he hadn't even noticed from jumping fences. Geez, that had been scary... he shuddered slightly at the memory. Woe to those that dared cross the daughter of the Mayor of Ordon Village...

 


	8. Home Free At Last

"Right, so... how _does_ this thing work, anyway?" Link asked his Dark counterpart, examining the magic mirror. **  
**

"Um, when got here it was because my blood touched it. So I guess this one needs your blood to activate?" he guessed, wondering if it mattered if they used his or his Light Half's. **  
**

"Okay, so that means I need to cut myself with something," Link replied, pulling out a carving knife and making a tiny slit on his finger. The cut oozed slowly and a bead of crimson liquid welled up, gently dropping onto the mirror's surface. A second later the world suddenly went black, as if they'd fallen into a world of pure shadow. An instant later, the two hylians found themselves on their backs, lying on the floor of the basement. **  
**

"Did it work?" Link asked, sitting up groggily. Dark stood and examined the walls, his face shining with hope. **  
**

"Look, the mirror's not here anymore! I think it worked! And, see, the room is dimmer, and the air is a bit cooler... it worked!" he cried exuberantly, pumping his fists in the air and laughing with giddy relief. **  
**

"Really? That's... that's... wow. That is cool. But now I can't see a thing. Hold on, I'm gonna transform," Link told his Shadow while getting up and waving his hands around in front of his face like a blind person, bumping into walls and narrowly missing the ladder. Fumbling with what appeared to be some sort of fungus-like growth hanging on a string around his neck, he unwrapped it from its covering and touched the ridged surface; transforming into the wolf form Dark had first met him in. **  
**

"Whoa. Um... this is so weird. How are you going to get up the ladder?" Dark asked, glancing at his Light half. **  
**

The large canine just barked and wagged his tail, deep blue eyes almost glowing in the dim light. He then trotted over to the ladder and crouched low before exploding upwards in one powerful leap that carried him all the way up to the main floor.  **  
**

Dark, for his part, stared at the Hero in shock while doing a remarkably accurate fish impression. Gosh, those muscles were powerful... this made him extremely grateful that Link was on his side and hadn't tried to kill him. If he had, well... Dark's body would've probably been lying six feet under a long time ago. **  
**

The wolf barked loudly and leaned over the hole, as if to say "You coming or not?"

The other hylian then shut his mouth and ascended the wooden rungs, resisting the urge to start scratching the Blue-Eyed Beast behind the ears. Sometimes, he just seemed so much like a little puppy it was adorable. **  
**

"Okay. First thing to do... apologize to Ilia for disappearing and leaving Epona tied to the house for a week. Though, knowing her, she's probably got that horse in her room by now," Dark said, looking around his house. Everything was as he'd left it, not a single item out of place. Wait... actually, he took that back. Epona's tack was hanging on the wall, probably replaced by Ilia. **  
**

Link gave him what looked like a pitying look before sniffing at the pot hanging over his fireplace, sneezing when there was nothing interesting within. Dark crossed the room and exited the door, with Link bounded after him; still in wolf form. The two then made their way down the path to the spring, knowing that Ilia constantly frequented the area. Dark also knew that unless somebody had moved it; it was there that they would find the mirror that had started the entire mess in the first place as well. **  
**

Sure enough, upon reached the large pool the two found the mayor's daughter humming to herself while washing Epona. The dark chestnut mare lifted her head and perked up her ears when she heard the two approach, letting out a joyful neigh. Ilia started and turned, gazing at the teen and the wolf. **  
**

"Oh, Link! You're back!" she cried, running towards him and throwing her arms around the Dark Worlder in a tight hug. He smiled and hugged her back, ignoring the wolf that seemed to be snickering (or whatever was the wolf equivalent of snickering) by his side. **  
**

What happened next was completely expected by everyone, even Dark. Ilia, having gotten over her initial euphoria over having Dark back, immediately began giving the living shadow a twenty-minute lecture on how much he neglected Epona and how they'd all been so worried when he'd up and disappeared and they hadn't seen hide nor hair of him for a week and what was he thinking and... well, I'm sure you can fill in the rest.  **  
**

By the time she was finished, Dark was thoroughly cowed and apologized profusely, promising to never do it again. Then she hugged him. Again, this was expected by everyone. Ilia could get pretty emotional at times. **  
**

"Yeah, I'm glad to be back too. No, I can't tell you where I was, but I really need to go to Castle Town and talk with Princess Zelda. By the way, do you know where that fancy mirror I left in the spring went?" Dark asked, casting his gaze around the clear waters and noting the absence of any ornate piece of reflective glass beneath the surface.

"Oh, that? I took it home, it's in my room. Do you want me to go get it? And who's this?" Ilia asked, noticing Link for the first time. She crouched and began petting him, earning a happy tail wag and contented grunts from the werewolf.  **  
**

Dark chuckled and shrugged, merely replying with, "He followed me home. If you could get the mirror for me...?" he reminded her. **  
**

"Oh, yes, of course. Wait here, I'll be right back." **  
**

"Alright, thanks." **  
**

* * *

"So, are you going to ride behind me or are you going to run? Because if you run, it's a long way to Castle Town. If you ride, you won't be able to see," Dark asked his Light Half, who was sitting on the ground in wolf form next to Epona. The wolf narrowed his eyes and thought for a minute before getting up and barking, moving to the start of the trail that ran through the woods.

"I guess that means run, then," the Shadow muttered, hoisting himself onto his horse. He then guided her to the narrow path and flicked the reins, bypassing Link and heading into Faron Province. Link trotted alongside the pair, careful to avoid getting too close. Epona seemed to be unaffected by his presence, as if she could sense that he was, in a way, her rider as well.

Once they got out to open grassland, Dark urged his horse into a canter, picking up speed. Link loped alongside them, occasionally casting eager glances at the pair as if to say, _Faster, faster! I want to run!_

Dark laughed and obliged, flicking the reins and accelerating into a full-on gallop. The trio raced across the fields, scattering bokoblins and bomskits and leaving a trail of dust in their wake.

Keeping up the speed for several hours, the three travelers were a little over a third of the way there when night fell. Taking shelter in a cave to avoid the stalhounds that prowled the fields by night, they shared a happy evening eating and talking around the campfire. When dawn appeared they set off once again, arriving at the gates of Castle Town just as night fell.

"Um, you might want to transform back now. I don't think the guards are going to let in a wolf," Dark said as he slid off Epona, leading her up the drawbridge to the gates. Link nodded and did so, but cursed under his breath when he suddenly became blind again.

"Shoot, can't see a thing. You're going to have to pretend I'm your blind twin brother or something, 'cause I can't even tell which way is up right now," he said, waving his hands around in front of him and promptly tripping over the steps upon attempting to walk forward. Dark burst out laughing, causing the disgruntled teen to scowl. The Shadow then led his Light Half across as well, making him hold onto Epona's saddle while he led the horse into town. After getting her settled at the public stables, Dark then led his Link to Telma's Bar for the night.

"Oh, what do we have here, honey? A friend of yours?" the kind barkeep asked, looking over the Hero. Said hero then tripped over a chair and crashed into a table, letting out a string of profanities as he did so.

"Oh, um, yeah, he's my, uh, blind friend. That's why he's crashing into everything," Dark said nervously. He didn't know why, but there was just something about Telma that always made him feel slightly confused over whether she was trying to flirt with him or be helpful or what. He settled for ignoring it and helping Link up, grabbing the back of his tunic when he nearly ran into a wall again.

"Hm. Well, honey, there's a free room to the side. You know where," she said, turning back to the bar. Dark thanked the woman and led Link away, over to the room Telma had told them was open. She never charged him, not since he'd saved her cat from the stalhounds a few months ago. One of the perks of being nice to everyone.

Once they got to the room, Dark closed the door and sat on the bed.  "So, we'll spend the night here and get to the Castle tomorrow. I don't really know if the guards will let us in or not, though," he said worriedly. Link just smiled and turned into a wolf, leaping onto the covers and panting in his Shadow's face.

Turning back into human form, he replied, "Just tell her the Blue-Eyed Beast and the Hero of Twilight needs to see her. If she's been keeping up-to-date on what's been going on in the Twilight Realm, she'll let us in. Besides, worst case is that we just sneak in. It's not actually that hard; their security sucks," he said, laying back and putting his hands behind his head.

"Huh. If you say so. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. You can sleep on the floor, since you're the one with the fur coat. Good night," Dark replied teasingly, pushing Link off and lying down himself. Removing his weapons and placing them gently on the floor, the Shadow was quickly slumbering deeply. His Light Half, in the meantime, just shook his head and smiled. He doubted the other teen had realized this, but over the past couple days they'd begun to treat each other like family. Like brothers.

_Now, I feel like going for a run. I'll be back before he wakes up,_ Link thought, switching to wolf form. Casting one last glance back at his peacefully napping Dark Half, the Hero of Twilight exited the room.

 


	9. Same Dungeon, Same Cell, Different World

"Wonderful. Just wonderful. How in the name of all Hyrule did I manage to get into this mess? With no Midna to bail me out this time, either," Link grumbled, tugging futilely at the chain binding him to the dungeon cell- which was, incidentally, the same cell he'd been imprisoned in under Hyrule Castle after his first transformation. The one where he'd first met Midna the Annoying Imp-Thing and had started his journey, only a little over a year ago. Gee, what a coincidence.

The chain had been wound tightly around his paw and appeared to be tied and welded (how did they manage that one?) to itself, ensuring that the only means of escape would be gnawing off his own leg. Now, Link may have been the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, but he was not willing to lose an essential appendage when all he had to do was wait for Dark to come looking for him. Which should happen eventually. Emphasis on eventually. Maybe he shouldn't have gone out while the Shadow was asleep without telling him... oh well, too late now.

Link lay down and put his head on his paws, wondering if transforming into a human would leave the chain on him or not. Because he only wore his manacle in wolf form and not human form, maybe if he transformed the chains would disappear as well. Deciding that it was worth a shot and there were no guards around anyway (really, the security was terrible. No wonder Zant had taken over so easily) Link transformed.

And he achieved... absolutely nothing. The chain was still wound tightly around his wrist in a large mesh of melded chain links and pieces of metal, attached to the solid iron ring embedded in the cell floor. Short of suddenly gaining the strength of a goron, there was no way he was going anywhere.

Growling irritably and morphing back to a wolf, Link made himself comfortable and resigned himself to a long wait. After all, Dark wasn't stupid. He'd figure out that he'd left in wolf form and come looking. Hopefully. Eventually. Probably.

As for how he got into this situation in the first place, well, that was actually kind of humiliating. Closing his deep blue eyes, Link relived his memories of the previous events.

* * *

_Trotting happily through Castle Town, Link headed towards the Southern Gate. Ignoring the people screaming and scattering when he approached, the large wolf made it all the way to the main square before the guards showed up._

_"Ah! I-i-it's a wolf! How the heck did it get in here?!" One guard cried fearfully. Link snorted as he passed by the shaking soldier. It looked like the guards here were just as wimpy as the ones in the Light World._

_"I don't know! What do we do?" Another shrieked, attempting to poke Link with his spear. The canine growled and moved away, prompting another yelp of fear._

_"Oh, get a hold of yourselves, men! It's just a wolf! Now, watch carefully. Here's how you get rid of a beast like this!"_

_Link stiffened slightly upon hearing this new man's declaration. So maybe there was somebody with some backbone in him after all. That wasn't good; for him at least._

_Growling as a spear came down in front of him, Link leapt back. The only brave soldier in town pulled out a sword and advanced on him, holding it out in an offensive position. The other soldiers created a ring around the two, cutting off any means of escape for Link._

_Oh, wonderful. Just wonderful. The only brave guard in Castle Town, and he just happens to want my head on a stick, the Blue-Eyed Beast thought irritably, searching for any way of getting out of the situation with minimal damage to the guards. Unfortunately, there was none._

_"Hah!" The soldier advanced, slashing clumsily at Link. The Hero easily dodged, but stayed on the defensive. The soldier slashed again, with the same results._

_This continued for a few minutes until one of the others making up the outer ring suddenly found a new burst of courage, slamming the shaft of his spear onto Link's head when he got close. The wolf crumpled like a rag doll, out cold._

_Next thing he knew, Link was in the same cell in the same dungeon and tied to the same iron ring. Just in a different world._

_Oh, joy._

* * *

A few hours later, Link heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and lifted his head. Dark and another guard came into view, Dark obviously trying to hold in laughter.

"Here you go, sir. Your dog. We're very sorry for the mix up; we thought it was a wolf. Please keep your pet on a leash from now on," the guard said quickly, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to be done with the whole thing. Clearly he was still scared of Link.

"Thank you. Now, we'll just be going- wait a minute, how do we get this off? It looks like the links are... welded together? Isn't that kind of overkill?" Dark asked, crouching to examine Link's paw.

"Ah, yes, we felt that was necessary. But, um, if you'll excuse me, we have an acid that will melt the chain... please hold on for a second."

The chemical mixture melted through the metal like a hot knife through butter, and the chains fell to the stone floor with a clatter. Link shook his paw happily and stood, nuzzling Dark's hand. The Shadow laughed and patted his head.

After they were out of the dungeons and back in the main square (with Link on a leash- he was not happy about that) Dark led him to a secluded alleyway and removed the makeshift lead, allowing his Light Half to transform. After he did so, Dark couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

"No offense, but was probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen! The great Blue-Eyed Beast, Hero of Twilight, Defeater of the Usurper King, walking around on a leash like a house pet!" Dark cried, practically rolling on the ground with laughter.

"Oh, shut up. It's not my fault; it's the guard's fault! They're the ones who insisted I had to be on a leash. And not a _word_ of this leaves your lips, you hear? I'll never hear the end of it if this gets out. It's almost as embarrassing as the time Midna tried to teach me doggy tricks..." he snapped, mumbling the last part to himself. Unfortunately, due to his sharper hearing, Dark overheard the entire thing. Going into fresh peals of laughter and giggling, his mirth was infectious and quickly caused the other hylian to dissolve into laughter as well.

They stayed like that for about a minute, then finally calmed down and just sat there grinning at each other.

"Well, now that we're not sitting here giggling like five year olds, how 'bout actually doing what we came here for? As in, SEEING PRINCESS ZELDA," Link said loudly, getting up and promptly smacking face-first into a wall. Dark held back a snicker and got up as well, leading his Light Half in the right direction.

"All right, all right. Just don't go running into any more walls, now. Ha, I can just imagine it... you'll be standing in front of Princess Zelda and trying to talk, but facing the wrong way or something like that... hehe!"

"No, I won't. I'll be in wolf form, then I'll transform once I'm sure I'm facing the right way. And stop laughing at me!" Link cried, drawing some odd looks from the locals. Dark, however, didn't stop snickering at the mental image of Link running into a wall or tripping up the steps in the throne room or something like that until they reached the castle gates.

"Halt! State your business," the guards said, putting on a brave front.

"We're here on urgent business to see Princess Zelda. Tell her that it concerns Princess Midna as well as the Blue-Eyed Beast," Dark replied, turning Link around so that the Hero didn't walk into the walls again.

The guards eyed them suspiciously, then conferred among themselves for a few seconds.

"We'll let you in, but there's no guarantee you'll see the Princess. She's very busy with her duties at the moment," they announced pompously. The great double doors creaked open and a guard appeared, escorting the pair through the courtyard.

* * *

After a mere minute or so of waiting in the large entrance hall, a messenger dressed in what Dark privately thought was a very silly uniform with too many frills entered and told them that Princess Zelda wished to see them both immediately.

Link let out several soft curses under his breath as he repeatedly banged his toes on the steps, earning a disapproving look from the messenger. When it seemed that the staircases would never end, they finally came to a set of double doors in the wall- the private meeting room.

The messenger ushered them in and shut the doors behind them, closing with what Dark thought sounded like an ominous clang. Swallowing a sudden jolt of nervousness, he told Link that they were there.

The room was fairly comfortable, with some bookshelves, armchairs, and a fireplace. The carpet was soft and expensive, and a small chandelier adorned the ceiling. Seated in one of the chairs was the Princess herself, looking as serene and beautiful as the rumors said she was.

"Well, I was wondering when you two would show up."

 


	10. Mirror of Twilight- ACTIVATE!

The two hylians stared in bewilderment at the Princess.

"You were?" they asked in unison, earning a small chuckle from Princess Zelda.

"Yes, I was. You see, about a week ago I sensed a large magical disturbance originating from the Ordona Province. Upon investigation, traces of Light-Dweller magic were found in the area. Unfortunately, I had no way to getting to the Light World, and was helpless to do anything.

“Then, a few days ago, There was another burst of Light-Dweller magic in the same area. After that I contacted Princess Midna, who chuckled and muttered something about... ah, 'clever little wolfies,' for some reason. Could you explain that for me, if you please? She also told me that If she knew 'him', then the source of the magic I sensed would show up at the Castle sooner or later."

Utter silence reigned. Finally, Link broke it by laughing.

"Oh, Midna. I should have known you'd say something like that," he said to himself. Dark just looked at him, completely confused. Why was he laughing over something the Princess of Twilight had said? Oh yeah, he'd traveled with her for a while. That explained it. Kind of.

"What do you mean? Please elaborate for me," Princess Zelda asked politely, as confused by the Light-Dweller as his Shadow was.

"It's just that, well, Midna's sort of a... well... really the best way to explain this would to just say that she tends to act like a mischievous little imp sometimes. She also seems to like talking in riddles and messing with people for some reason. What she said to you, Princess, was just a typical Midna response. You should have heard the way she was making fun of the Princess Zelda in my world," Link replied, still chuckling.

Princess Zelda merely nodded and accepted this, as if she heard random Light-Dwellers calling the Princess of Twilight a "mischievous imp" all the time. Dark, for his part, just wondered how his Light Half could be so disrespectful and blunt without getting blasted. After all, Princess Midna was notorious for her short temper. Though rumors said that she had been greatly changed upon her return from the Light Realm. Perhaps Link had something to do with that.

"Now, having heard all about you from Midna, I assume you're here for the Mirror of Twilight?" Zelda asked. The Hero and his Shadow both nodded in identical movements at the exact same time, making the corner of the Princess' mouth twitch upwards in a tiny smile.

"I expected as much. Come, it's in the Mirror Chamber," she said, rising gracefully from the chair and exiting the room. Link and Dark followed, Dark observing the eager look on his counterpart's features. The Living Shadow smiled; it looked like Link had a bit of a crush. Maybe more than he'd like to admit.

The two followed the Princess through many different halls and staircases, curving and twisting so much that Dark became completely disoriented and lost. Throwing a quick look at the Hero, he was startled to note that it appeared as if the other teen knew exactly where they were going- or at least had a pretty good idea of where. How he managed that, Dark had no idea whatsoever.

Finally, the three hylians came to another large set of double doors (what was it with this castle and large double doors?), only these were painted jet-black with twili designs adorning their wooden surfaces. Link noted that it looked almost exactly like the wall of twilight that he'd seen when Zant was still at large and shrouding the Light World in Twilight. At least that made it pretty obvious as to what was housed within this particular chamber.

"This is the Mirror Chamber," Princess Zelda announced unnecessarily. Dark resisted the urge to disrespectfully roll his eyes. Come on; wasn't it kind of obvious? I mean, the entire door and some of the surrounding walls were painted in twili designs with the Twili Royal Crest (the large stylized eye-like design embossed right smack in the center.)

Placing her palm against the doors, the markings suddenly glowed with an electric blue light and the entrance silently dissolved, exactly like the doors in the Twilight Realm did. Link wondered how they'd managed to get twili technology (or was it magic?) integrated into the castle like this; while Dark just wondered what the heck just happened to the door.

Upon entering the chamber, the door phased back into existence behind them as silently as it had disappeared. The Mirror Chamber was, in appearance, quite different from the one in the Light World. Instead of sand, there was cold hard stone. A large slab of obsidian stood in the middle, and the ceiling curved majestically overhead. The pedestal standing before the rock contained the Mirror Twilight itself, decorated with archaic runes and mysterious markings.

The floor, walls, and ceiling of the chamber, which was as large the one in the Light World, were all decorated with twili markings and the Twili Royal Crest. These markings glowed with an eerie light, bathing the room in soft greens and teals with burnished gold and sunset orange undertones. All in all, it was beautiful.

The sight struck the two males into complete and utter silence, leaving them to stare in awe at their surroundings. Zelda allowed herself a small smile at the sight of her two companions doing remarkably accurate fish impressions while slowly turning in place, soaking up every last detail they could possibly see. The two of them didn't know it, but at the moment they were both thinking the exact same things- This is just so AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL and PRETTY and I really wish I had one of those fancy pictograph boxes right now…

Clearing her throat softly, the Princess drew the attention of the Hero and his Shadow from the walls around them, bringing their gazes back to the Mirror of Twilight.

"You may both go, if you wish. I shall remain here to fulfill my duties as ruler. When you want to come back, simply step into the portal. If you, Link, wish to return to the World of Light, you will have to come back here and use whatever method you used to enter the Dark World. By the way," she paused, and addressed the Hero, "what did you use to get here in the first place?"

"Hm? Oh, it was a mirror we found in our basements. When our blood touched it, it became a portal traveling between the Realms. Dark found one in his basement that led to the Light World, and I found one in my basement that led here," he replied absently, already moving to stand by the mirror.

"Ah, that certainly explains things. Now, I'll be leaving you two." With that, the Princess nodded politely to both of them and exited the room, the door phasing out of existence once again when she touched it and fading back in when she was gone.

Silence reigned, broken only by Dark's question of, "How the heck do we use this thing?"

The hylian was examining the Mirror, scrutinizing the pedestal to see if there was any switch or lever to open the portal. Link did the same, realizing that they'd neglected to ask the Princess how to activate it.

"Um, whenever I did it Midna was the one to do it... but all she had to do was touch the surface," Link said after they'd run their hands across it several times, hunting for a hidden button. Dark frowned, then replied, "That's probably because she was the rightful ruler of the Twili, so she probably had royal power over it or something. But I'm pretty sure we can use it too, otherwise Princess Zelda wouldn't have just left us here. Any ideas?"

There were none, and the two spend a good twenty minutes scratching their heads and pondering the situation. After a while Link started humming, a haunting but powerful tune that Dark vaguely recognized.

"What are you singing?" he asked curiously. Link glanced over and flushed slightly, having not realized that he was humming at all.

"Uh, I think it's called the Ballad of Twilight or something. Midna taught it to me after I had to use it to activate something, so it reminds me of her," he replied sadly, blue eyes gazing off into the distance as if reliving that moment. He began humming again, louder this time.

Suddenly there was a large buzzing sound, as if some large machine was powering up. Both teens jerked around so fast they got whiplash and gaped at the mirror, which reminded Dark a little bit like some huge creature waking up after a long, long nap.

The runes and markings decorating the smooth surface glowed and flashed, projecting a huge image onto the stone slab before it. The images spun and danced on the rock, twisting and turning until they finally settled into a slow, rotating rhythm. By this time a three-dimensional tunnel had formed within the obsidian itself, and the two could practically feel the power emanating from it.

The Mirror of Twilight was working and ready for business.

 

 


	11. A Princess and Her Wolf

Transparent steps led the way to a pearly opaque platform, standing directly in line with the tunnel. Dark and the Hero climbed up the steps and stood together, Dark feeling a sense of deja vu for some reason. He gasped, seeing flashes of images- memories- in his mind.

He dimly registered Link by his side, staring away into nothing, eyes glassy and unseeing- his consciousness was within, wrestling with the emotions and memories that had come from the sight of the portal opening. Dark saw what he saw, experienced what he experienced, all in one rush- like a flood- within the space of a single, short heartbeat.

_Sand, sand, everywhere, spinning and dancing through the air-_

_Oppressing heat, seeming to crush all the oxygen from his lungs-_

_A statue, surrounded by a winding, curving rail-_

_The feeling of the wind, rushing through his clothes, cooling his parched body as he circled, higher and higher-_

_The joy of riding this amazing contraption, whizzing around and around-_

_The magnificence of the ancient mechanism, gears whirring and spinning to lower the great stone into place-_

_A black and white imp, seething with rage at the sight of the broken mirror; a single shard clinging to its frame-_

_Squinting through a blinding snowstorm, every instinct on edge-_

_Fending off a pack of territorial white wolves, all the while following the overpowering scent of reekfish-_

_Laughing in pure exaltation while snowboarding down the mountainside, close on the tail of a large furry beast man-_

_Standing before the transformed Yeta, a victim of the Mirror Shard's evil power-_

_Now he was back in the familiar grounds of Faron Woods, gliding by cucco across a large gap-_

_The magnificent Temple of Time, with soaring arches and moving statues far, far into the past-_

_Craning his neck at the ceiling, observing the movements of the Twilit Arachnid; Armogohma-_

_Traveling across Hyrule, gathering words for an ancient book from the Sky-_

_A cannon, buried deep beneath the grounds of Kakariko Village-_

_Braving the harsh winds of the City in the Sky, surrounded by the odd chicken-people known as Oocca_

_Facing down the terrible dragon that had been terrorizing the City, pulled through the air by his clawshots in the blinding rain-_

_Riding that dragon like a bucking horse, stabbing his sword into the creature's back-_

_Returning to the Mirror Chamber, making the pieces whole once again-_

_That same imp from before, restored to a beautiful young woman-_

_A single tear was all it took, drifting through the air as if suspended like a puppet on a string-_

_The Mirror shattering into a million pieces, never to be reassembled again-_

_Her words echo back to him, resounding in his head-_

_"Only the true ruler of the Twili can destroy the Mirror of Twilight."_

_The Twilight Princess, departing forever-_

_An overwhelming feeling of shock, despair, and above all, sadness-_

Dark was abruptly snapped back to reality when he felt himself begin to literally start to dissolve, his very essence coalescing into black twilight squares and getting sucked into the tunnel. Swallowing a sudden burst of fear, he only had time for one short yell before they were both sucked in.

* * *

Getting the very particles of your body pulled apart and sucked into a glowing tunnel to another world was a very... disorienting sensation, to say the least. The trip itself only lasted about a second; barely enough time to even register what was really going on before Dark felt himself re-forming on solid ground, staggering slightly as he landed.

"Okay, what the _heck_ was that earlier? I think I was seeing your memories or something like that," Dark immediately said, turning to his Light Half. Link cocked his head to the side quizzically (like a wolf, Dark thought) and frowned.

"Yeah, I know I was reliving those, but I didn't know you were seeing them too. Maybe because we're technically different versions of each other?" he suggested. Dark nodded, accepting this easily. Thus, the matter was quickly dropped in light of other, more pressing issues- such as the fact that they had arrived at the Realm of Twilight, or Twilight Realm, or whatever you want to call it.

Dark's first thought upon drinking in the sights of the Twilight Realm was this: it was calm and peaceful, like a dream of sorts. This illusion was almost immediately shattered by the sound of yelling. Now, having landed just south of the central plaza and directly across from the palace, the two had a wonderful view of the sight of a very angry Twili of some high rank (maybe a lord or a prince, judging by the fancy clothes) storming through the doors and yelling... uh... some very... _colorful_ language. Not exactly something you'd say to your grandmother, let's leave it at that.

Dark had to fight back a snicker at the sight of the man, his white markings flushed bright crimson and his orange eyes bugging out as if they were trying to escape from his head. Some of his angry tirade drifted through the air and reached the ears of the two hylians, who managed to catch the tail end of whatever he was screeching about.

"... An insult to my entire family, I say! An _insult_! Oh, I've never been so offended in my _life_! To think that you, YOU, of all of us, would turn me down?! ME, the highest-ranking lord in your court! How could-" At this point one of his escorts grabbed his arm and pulled the still-ranting twili away, dragging him into a floating carriage drawn by two twilit kargaroks.

They could hear his muffled yells all the way across the island until the carriage was hastily jerked into motion, the driver urging the animals as fast as they could go. It then streaked across the orange skies to another island, far in the distance. Dark idly wondered how they got the carriage to float like that. Magic, perhaps?

"Oh, dear. It looks like Lord Ermil's in a bad mood today. I wonder what could have gotten his temper up? Ee he he!"

Link started at the sound of what Dark thought was a slightly creepy and possibly a little bit deranged laugh. Recognition flickered over the Hero's face, and a large grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat spread over his features. Dark resisted the urge to laugh, reminded of a hopeful puppy.

The tall woman standing at the front of the palace was clearly the Princess of Twilight, as evidenced by her royal robes and striking appearance, as well as her distinctive way of talking- a permanent note of scorn and mischief in her voice. Very rarely was she heard sounding serious about anything, if the rumors were to be believed. It seemed that Princess Midna wasn't somebody you forgot easily.

Without warning, Link suddenly transformed into a wolf and bolted, streaking past the surprised twili scattered across the island and making a beeline straight for Midna. Dark stood, stunned, for a second before cursing under his breath and chasing after the love-struck Hero.

Unfortunately for him, the wolf is a streamlined animal built for speed and power, able to run far faster than any mere hylian. Therefore, Dark never stood a chance. Before he was halfway across the plaza Link was already sitting at Midna's feet, tongue lolling out happily and tail wagging like there was no tomorrow. He let out a hopeful bark and started panting, gazing up at the Princess with the biggest blue puppy eyes he could muster. The Twilight Princess looked down at him, shocked, before uttering one hopeful word.

"Link?"

 


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, last chapter! I hope that everyone who read this story enjoyed it, and if you didn't, please let me know how to improve! Thanks, and enjoy the end of Through the Looking Glass!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda, that belongs to Nintendo.

 

* * *

After all that's said and done, Dark concluded that his little "adventure" was well worth all the trouble of being burned and mobbed and all that. Standing before the three Princesses of the Dark World, Twilight Realm, and the Light World respectively, he was suddenly very glad that he'd found that ancient, dusty mirror in his basement all those months ago. Then, clearing his throat, he and his counterpart gave their reports on their work setting up trade routes between the three realms.

* * *

Once they'd all gotten over the shock of seeing the Blue-Eyed Beast/Hero of Twilight acting like a silly puppy at the feet of the Princess Midna, the Twilight Realm had been in an uproar. Never had a denizen of all three worlds been standing in the same area without them all trying to kill each other before, so naturally the trio of Link, Dark, and Midna gained quite a bit of interest.

Link and Midna got together and were married (Link proposed by using the Dominion Rod as a ring holder and presenting it to her- as it turned out, once the tips were padded with cloth the claws on the top were the perfect size) and thus unified the Twilight Realm and the Light World as allies. Link then became the ambassador between the Light and Twilight Realms, using the Mirror to jump between them. Then, with a combination of magicks, the three Princesses were able to create another Mirror of Twilight to go between the Light and Twilight Realms, saving the hassle of going through the Dark World every time.

Dark, for his part, became the ambassador between the Dark World and the Light World, using the ancient mirror from his basement to transport himself between them. For the first time in recorded history, the Dark and Light Worlds were able to calmly do business with each other, trading goods and such.

The two Princess Zeldas became very good friends and often traded magic techniques, which led to a new type of magic that was neither Light nor Dark. They called it Silver Magic; and it quickly became one of the most powerful of abilities in the two Princess' arsenals.

In this way the three realms were finally able to make peace with each other, doing business and trading goods without trying to kill one another. The denizens of the Light World in particular were very interested in twili technology, and the twili were intrigued by the many flora and fauna unique to the World of Light.

Relations between the Light and Dark Worlds were rocky at first; each thinking the other as either monsters or unnatural. But once the two Princesses made friends and the two Links made a public speech about how they weren't really that different and that they should all be friends and blah blah blah, goods were quickly flying back and forth across the dimensional fabric that separated them.

Within a year a three-way trading system had been established, and merchants quickly made a profit by manufacturing as much of their wares as they could and giving them off to another realm. The economy boomed, and the three realms each entered a new Golden Age of Peace.

All this was thanks to pure dumb luck; luck that caused Link of the Dark World to find that dusty old mirror in his basement and kick-start the chain of events that led to a new era of prosperity.

Yes, Dark's little "adventure" was definitely well worth all the trouble. Oh, and one other thing- not six months after things had finally settled down, he proposed to Ilia. Except that he used, instead of an ancient staff like his counterpart, the chestnut mare she loved so dearly. The ring was attached to Epona's bridle, along with a note that said "Will you marry me?"

Dark himself was riding atop his horse, and when Ilia said yes he was so happy that he accidentally snapped the reins upon throwing out his arms with joy. This made Epona bolt into a headlong gallop, which caused him to fall off in surprise- right into the waters of Ordon Spring, where Rusl and his family were playing happily. It was very embarrassing for him, but that was overlooked in light of Ilia's response.

Bo later said tearfully that Dark was grinning like a loon for days afterward. Of course, the village mayor then began sniffling with tears of joy and blubbered out something along the lines of "My baby girl's growin' up so fast," and then promptly began reminiscing about how she'd been a little girl no higher than his knee not a day before and all that sappy stuff like that.

* * *

**_10 Years Later_ **

"So, how've you been doing?" Link asked Dark, lounging idly on the bank of the Lake Hylia in the Dark World. The three princesses had worked together to design a spell that gave Link the ability to see in the Dark World for up to three days before it needed to be renewed. He had used it to great effect, thrilled that he no longer had to always use his wolf form when visiting his counterpart's homeland.

"Oh, it's been good. The kids are quite a handful, but they all listen to their mother more than they listen to me. With good reason," Dark replied, chuckling. The kids in question were happily splashing around in the water, while Ilia and Midna supervised. "How are you? Got lots of kingly duties?" he asked the Hero.

Link laughed and sat back, placing his hands behind his head.

"Nah, not really. Midna and the Council handle most of that, actually. According to twili tradition, the Queen is usually the one with the most power. And I'm very happy to let her have all the responsibility. Besides, I have enough on my plate taking care of my own kids. The oldest is now a budding warlock, and my youngest shows a lot of promise with her daggers."

"Wow... you're teaching your kids to fight? Starting at age six?" Dark arched his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah, well, call it paranoia if you want, but I know how important it is to know your way around a blade. Besides, they're the first ever half-twili, half-light worlder kids in any of the three realms. Who knows what somebody might try and do to them. I'll sleep that much easier at night if I know that they can defend themselves."

"Alright, if you say so. I guess I'm not as worried, seeing as where we live is a lot more secluded than where you live. Y'know, fancy palace right smack in the middle of the kingdom vs a small farming community in, as some rich lord put it, 'the middle of nowhere.'"

"Ordon isn't in the middle of nowhere! Wait... actually, it kinda is... never mind. Forget what I said earlier."

"*Snort*"

"Shut up."

"As you wish, O Kingly One."

"Shut it or I'll sic the kids on you. Did I mention they inherited my shapeshifting abilities?"

"Oh... OH... shutting up now."

With that, the two hylians relaxed and observed their families, joyfully frolicking in the warm waters of the lake.

"Hey, Dad! Uncle Wolfy! Come play with us!" one of the kids called. Link shot his counterpart a sharp look.

"Uncle Wolfy?"

Dark just snickered in response, then got up and pulled the Hero to his feet.

"Come on, 'Uncle Wolfy'. Are ya too scared to get in the water?" he teased playfully. Link just growled good-naturedly and transformed, headbutting Dark into the lake. After surfacing and shaking the water from his eyes, the Shadow grinned evilly.

"Oh, it is _on_. Kids, target Uncle Wolfy!"

And thus commenced the loudest, most boisterous splash fight ever to be heard in Lake Hylia.

* * *

Fyer chuckled from his spot on the porch of his floating house/cannon.

"That boy's all grown up now. He ain't that little kid who used to come to me for cannon rides anymore. I wonder if his tykes would like to enjoy to fantastical wonders of flight..."

* * *

Falibi smiled as he observed the families from his seat atop the small hut perched precariously on the cliffs lining Lake Hylia. The sight of them happily playing and splashing brought back so many memories…

Smiling fondly, he stroked one of the cuccos that had wandered over and it clucked happily, snuggling into his arms. The former circus performer's eyes misted over as he remembered the good old days, when he used to do that with his family... oh, the memories...

* * *

The two princesses smiled fondly as they saw the soaking wet but thrilled group enter the Castle gates, chatting with each other and leaving a dripping wet trail of water wherever they went. Heading straight for the Mirror Chamber, the echoes of their laughter drifted through the halls long after they'd vanished from sight. Chuckling to themselves as they called the maids to clean up the mess, the two royal women once again thanked the Powers Above for bringing peace to the three kingdoms, ushering in a new era of prosperity.

And this was all thanks to Dark Link finding that dusty old mirror in his basement, and then having the misfortune to be unwillingly sucked in- thus initiating his misadventure in the Light World and his meeting of the Hero of Twilight, then continuing to help unite the three worlds in blissful peace.

* * *

**_The End_ **

* * *

 

 


End file.
